I re-read the post I responded to. A hasty scan made me think you were blaming Trump for playing nice with Saudi Arabia, when you're criticism was of him bashing Iran who is been becoming more democratic. It just kills me when Americans don't see our own hypocrisy when it comes to countries like Saudi Arabia. But it seems you do. I stand corrected.

The side of Iran that Bourdain showed has always been there, but we never see it in US media. Just like how footage of the Soviet Union was always bleak and snowy up until its collapse, and then in the early 90's we started seeing gorgeous travel shows about St. Petersburg in full Spring bloom.

Could Flynn get busted down a rank, forcing him to change his Twitter handle?

Ah. Not being a political junkie that never would've occurred to me. It especially wouldn't have occurred to me because I try very hard not to dwell on the past. But in this case, it was relevant. President Clinton pushed for 3 strikes. My point was that democrats in the past, have not exactly been angels when it comes to both prosecuting and incarcerating large portions of our population (much of it minority youths). To deny this is simply delusional. Until this election, I found out that I was delusional about democrats myself.

For the lawyers here. Do people plead the 5th who are innocent? I don't think we have anything similar in Canada and everything I know about it I got from tv and movies.

Of course democrats were awful too, but so what? Buchanan was a terrible president and a democrat. Does this mean republicans can never be criticized?

BWAC is completely irrelevant in EVERY context for EVERY discussion. This is even more so for HRC who was not president.

Just because someone has done something bad does not immunize every other person for all time doing the same thing. First grade children are taught this as core curriculum.

WHAT ABOUT CLINTON GUYS??

that was a tough one

The only scenario I see where Flynn is innocent and he is pleading the 5th is because there might be information to be seen that compromises someone, and that someone has a history of murdering people.


More than likely, he's guilty

Don't doubt his guilt. My question was more general if innocent people ever or commonly plead the 5th?

Meh, mentally I've set the bar so low that I don't expect Trump to know things like this so it doesn't even count as a dumb thing to say. That's for nerds who know where they are and what they're doing and paid attention in geography class and the like. I'm down to imagining what it would be like if a college freshman with a C average in a fraternity and no ambition with the energy of a stoner were in the White House and if Trump does better than that, I'm happy.

The most common example of it being used by an innocent person would be someone not remembering exactly when whatever they're being questioned about happened, so instead of risking perjuring themselves guessing the date they'd plead the 5th.

This is also why you end up with people replying just "I don't recall" for hours of testimony.

According to wikipedia, Canada has a similar privilege against being compelled to testify against yourself. Interestingly, apparently Canada only applies this privilege to proceedings against you personally, but has a corollary rule that says that your testimony can't be used against you in other proceedings! (So Flynn can confess to taking bribes from Russia and Turkey in the obstruction case against Trump, but that testimony can't be used against him later.)

I'm not a criminal lawyer, but if you're under criminal investigation you should basically never talk to any investigatory agency. The best thing that happens is you don't accidentally perjure yourself or say something that makes you look guilty, and the cops continue to think you are guilty.

No trump rambling tweeting and no bombshell story today?

Is it already over?

Hmm. I didn't know we had that. I guess I have never been involved in a legal case but it's funny how we often know more and the US than our own country.

I know this advice is standard, but I can recall two instances where I believe I would have been arrested if I had snap lawyered up.

there was a great episode of This American Life -

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/rad...07/confessions


What I learned from this, I will not say anything to police, ever.

Every question -> answer "lawyer"

Still lol'ing at Trump doing the Saudi sword jig and now the vids of him and his yamaka.

yarmulke

My bad thought it was spelled like Yamaha.

This is false. A dismissed case (or acquittal) will be purged from your NCIC interstate criminal history (rap sheet). Could still possibly be seen I suppose by the local jurisdiction you are arrested in or by local police agencies that might share records, but that is it.

Yup Yup. My dad was a cop and told me the exact thing. Ask for a lawyer and shut up.

There's two points here. One is that the police have lots of incentives to make you think you'll be arrested if you don't talk to them, but not much incentive to actually arrest you if they can't charge you. Two is that the point of the advice is not to keep you from getting arrested but to keep you from getting convicted.

Poconoder,
Just one question. If the special counsel appointment is a good thing for trump, why was he, and all the other top republicans, so vociferously against it?

Regards,

--jman220

Ok, but there are advantages to avoiding the arrest, even if it's a bad gamble compared to the risk of conviction.

Since it's a slow day I want to announce my new Costa Rican Screamo band THE SHEP SMITHS BUTTHOLE EXPERIENCE. We are currently auditioning for conga players.